"It’s the Same Language": SA Reacts to Mzansi Woman Using Afrikaans Skills in Amsterdam

A South African woman turned heads on TikTok after using her Afrikaans to communicate with Dutch speakers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. TikToker Thatoentle posted the clip on 25 April 2026, showing how the Mzansi language pulled through in a foreign country. South Africans in the comments had plenty to say.

The video caption said it all. She was proudly speaking “Dutch” because Afrikaans and Dutch are practically the same thing. Many South Africans watching from home immediately understood exactly what she meant.

Two languages, one root

Afrikaans was born from Dutch in the 17th century when Dutch East India Company settlers arrived at the Cape. They set up a supply station at the Cape of Good Hope in the 1600s. Over time, the language mixed with Khoisan, Malay, German, and Portuguese. What came out was Afrikaans, a daughter language that still carries about 90 to 95% of Dutch vocabulary. Dutch speakers can understand roughly 90% of written Afrikaans today.

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South Africans learn Afrikaans in school because it is one of the country’s 12 official languages. For many, it starts as a subject but ends up being a useful tool far beyond the classroom. In Thatoentle’s case, it opened a door in one of Europe’s most visited cities.

Mzansi had jokes and the comments delivered. One person said it was simply the same language. Another laughed that they would not have had the courage to try. A third called it pure survival instincts at work.

Watch the video below:

More stories involving the Afrikaans language

• A Grade 11 girl's themed book covers creatively reflected each school subject.
• A group of school learners from the city of Durban showcased their humorous Afrikaans war cry.
• Mel Viljoen faced a harsh reality check from the Afrikaans community after she reached out to express how much she missed them while detained in America.

Source: Briefly News